Family, diary, obsessions and ranting. There could be language and sometimes 'sexual' references. You have been warned.

Month: December 2017

Murron has ‘finally’ found a job she absolutely loves!
She works bar at a pub in Bedford but also works bar at it’s Sister pub in Luton.
She gets on like a house on fire with the manager in Luton and stays with her in the flat above the pub when she’s working there multiple days.
They go out partying after work and I can (thankfully) see this being a long term thing.
She can work it around her Open Mic nights too, so it’s really the best of both worlds for her.
For now, I’m just happy she’s happy!

Marjorie is still just Marjorie!
She’s into her second year of college and is still working part time for MacDonalds.
She’s loving the freedom a little cash is giving her.
She’s also applied to stay at the college to start a foundation degree in Sept.

Dharma is into her last few months of school!!
How scary is that?!
Right now she’s stressing herself about her exams which I can understand but it’s hard when you see someone being just a little bit too hard on themselves!
She’s also finding it very difficult seeing her sisters with money and can’t wait to get her NI number so that she can start applying for jobs.
Personally, I’m glad she can’t do it just yet as it would just be an added stresser in her final months of school.
She has also applied for a couple of college courses in Sept and I really hope she gets the qualifications she needs from her exams to be able to do them.

Ian has had a rough year physically.
His arthritis really hasn’t been under control for the entire year and he’s struggled the last few weeks with a nasty case of tonsillitis.

Up until Boxing Day, I had had a pretty good year health wise. However, I woke on boxing day with, what can only be described as, a case of flu!
I hurt all over, my head wanted to explode and I had a hacking dry cough and streaming eyes.
Today is really the first day I feel semi-normal.
I got woken by a hacking cough that seems to be worse when I’m laying down but now that I’ve been up a while the cough has eased off and only catches me occasionally.

So let’s have a little run down….

January started how it should do, with a trip to the cinema to see my BAE in Silence.
To say it’s an emotional film is an understatement.

I started wearing contact lenses.
It was something I had toyed with for a while but as my brother’s wedding in Italy was looming, I decided to give them a go.
I wish I had done it sooner.
It’s so liberating not having to worry about glasses all the time.

In February my BAE did a live Snickers advert for the Superbowl.

Dharma and her friend Reece decided to raise money for the Riverbank Sensory Garden Project and between them they raise over £650!!
They were helped along quite nicely by the DJ at my Dad’s 70th Birthday party.
They walked away from that with nearly £300. It was incredible.
The fund did so well, so quickly, that the garden was actually finished and opened in October. 2 years ahead of schedule!!

February also saw me get offered the opportunity to further my career by taking on a Foundation Degree as a Nursing Associate.

In March I discovered Sens8.
Why I hadn’t discovered this before is beyond me!
What an amazing show.
Pity that Netflix decided to cancel it at the end of the second season.
To be honest, I’m not surprised. The show is a logistical nightmare to film and because of all the different locations around the world it must have been really expensive too.
Of course the cancellation caused absolute uproar with the fans, so Netflix are at least giving us ‘closure’ with a finale episode in 2018.

‘Paterson’ came out on DVD.
I love this unassuming little film.
OK OK, my BAE Adam Driver is in it but what makes it extra special for me is that I went to see this at a preview showing in London in November 2016 and Adam Driver did a Q+A at the end of the showing!!
The very same Q+A is on the DVD release!

Yes, I can happily say that ‘I’ took this photo!!

In April, my work life changed dramatically. I officially enrolled and started as a Uni student. From now on my Mondays are to be spent in Uni, my Tuesdays are spent in placement and the remainder of my work hours are spent in my own work place.
Gone is my free time as writing referenced essays has put paid to any free time I may have had for the next two years!

I sneaked in an IMAX viewing of The force Awakens.

Here we go…
The teaser trailer and poster for Last Jedi were finally revealed at the Celebrations convention. The build up to the movie had begun and we still had 8 months to wait!

I wrote my last piece of fan fiction for a while. It was called ‘Lace’ and involved a certain force wielding babe and a pair of red lacey knickers!!
I will not be posting links to any of my fan-fiction here because my family read my blogs.
There is no way I want them reading my fics.

May was fairly boring.
I upped my excercising and dieting that was going really well in preparation for Italy.

In June I had a wonderful weekend in London with Ian. We had tickets to the Royal Albert Hall to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra do ‘Space Spectacular’.
‘A voyage through a galaxy of favourite music from deep space and beyond, with lights, lasers and indoor fireworks’
I went for the obligatory ‘John Williams’ music and I was not disappointed. It was an amazing show.

And they played my all time favourite Star Wars piece!! Duel of the Fates.

The rest of the weekend was amazing.
We picked a weekend with great weather and we just spent time walking around, having wonderful food and lots of drink.

I was a little impulsive when we went to Soho and got myself an industrial piercing.

In July my Uni course was in full swing and I passed my first essay. I also passed my maths exam and completed a joint presentation which was a frustrating challenge.

On my way to Uni one Monday morning I discovered a note under one of my wiper blades. It read ‘Stunningly beautiful’ and left a phone number.
To say it put a smile on my face was an understatement.

When filming wrapped on The Last Jedi, we got some amazing behind the scenes footage that just stoked the fires of the fans as their theories and predictions went into full meltdown.

Kylo Ren’s Tie Silencer was revealed and it was as sleak and sexy as it’s pilot.

A groundbreaking show called ‘Queer Britain’ presented by Riyadh Khalaf and originally airing on BBC3 was given BBC1 status.
I’m so happy for Riyadh!
The show is amazing and heartbreaking and eye opening. Check it out.
Keep your eyes peeled for this very charismatic young man. He’s going to go far.

I had a mid-life crisis breakthrough as after 48 years, I finally found my look.
A look I am still working on.
My hair is as short as it will go without using clippers and it is so liberating to not have to worry about styling it every morning.
I have a piercing I wouldn’t have dared get when I was younger and I have got the tattoo bug.

August has to be voted ‘Month of the Year’
I spent 10 days in Italy with Mum and Dad for my little Bro’s wedding.
I saw Sienna, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano and cried when I saw Florence.

And I had a close encounter with a wild porcupine and a mouse!!

On returning from Italy I was presented with a new movie with my BAE Adam Driver.

But I also got a movie with my other boy Domhnall Gleeson. (Who comes in a hot second to Adam)

It was back to normality in September and October.
Domhnall had 2 more movies out (the guy never stops working!!!)
He had a very creepy appearance in ‘Mother’ but then it was followed by an amazing performance as AA Milne in ‘Goodbye Christopher Robin’

I did go out with Ian for a couple of meals and movies around my birthday.
Uni ended at the end of October which meant I was now spending more time in my own work place again, although placements would be carrying on on Tuesdays.

November saw me indulging in my biggest tattoo yet.
I finally got the first order logo on my shoulder.
It’s a work in progress and I plan on expanding it.

December finally arrived and the AGONISING two year wait was over as The Last Jedi finally got released.
I loved it but it has divided the fandom.
It certainly did not go the way anyone thought it would go.
We knew that Adam had done a lot of filming with Daisy in Ireland on Skellig Michael, but everyone assumed there was going to be a huge battle with Kylo and his Knights against Luke and Rey…. HOW WRONG WE WERE.
Their scenes ended up being some of the most intimate in Star Wars history!

We also discovered that Snoke did not amount to anyone important and Rey was a complete nobody!! But not to Kylo (aaaahhh)

The discourse that this film has produced is incredible.
It seems to be a bit of a marmite movie. Fans either love it, or hate it.

Just 2.5 weeks after it’s release, it is sitting at number 43 in the all time worldwide box office chart and has raked in over $930 million!
It will be interesting to see how close to Force Awakens it gets considering that Force Awakens is sitting at number 3 with just over 2 billion in box office takings….. insane!

With Star Wars out of the way after 4 viewings, it was time to enjoy Xmas and we did.
Xmas day was a lovely day but things took a nosedive on boxing day when I came down with a flu.

I’m not feeling too bad today, just left with an annoying cough.
So, work it is tomorrow then. I can’t let them down on New Years Eve of all days!!

So that was bisically my year.
I’m sure a lot more happened that I’m forgetting about.
Now….

What about the movies?
Me and Ian continued with our trips to the cinema to utilise our Unlimited Cards.
Since getting the cards I have kept track of all the movies I watch in a year.
In 2014, I watched a total of 341 films with 48 of them at the cinema.
In 2015, I watched a staggering 379 films with 64 of them at the cinema.
In 2016, I watched 301 films with 48 of them at the cinema.
This year saw a big dip because of all the time I spent on Uni work.
In 2017, I have (so far) watched only 164 films with 52 of them at the cinema.

So Uni hasn’t really interfered with going ‘out’ to the cinema, but it has certainly affected the time I spend watching them at home.

The coming year will probably see even more of a dip as I go from level 4 to level 5 of my Foundation Degree.
This coming year will see me learning about dispensing some medications and will ‘hopefully’ end with me qualifying and getting my pin and registration with the NMC!!

The only time away I will get to spend with Ian is a trip to London at the beginning of March. We are going to see Imagine Dragons at the O2 and I can’t wait.
We decided to make a break of it and booked 3 nights in a hotel. The weather may not be as good as it was in June but I adore London and can’t wait to take it all in again.

Apart from that trip, it’s going to be a tough and frugle year all round!!

I will use this site as a sounding board if my feathers get ruffled.
I may not blog as much as I’d like but I just want to get 2018 out of the way…… and it hasn’t even arrived yet!!!

So, after coughing up a lung at 6 o’clock this morning, I decided to get up and spend 15 minutes inhaling steam to try and loosen things up a bit.
I’m not quite so achy today but my glands are still up.

I’ve had my morning cuppa and a trawl through the usual internet bits and pieces and now I am contemplating putting Xmas away!!

That’s how I feel.
Xmas is done.
I feel like shit.
I just want the year to end and start fresh.
That means no decorations into January.

I may even watch some Star Wars while I’m doing it.
Try to bring my spirits up a little.

Thankfully I had a wonderful Xmas day.
Everything ran smoothly. Me and Mum work together well to keep things flowing.
We all crashed in the living room after dinner and watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. I don’t think it was Dad’s cup of tea, but the rest of us enjoyed it.
We then watched a Russell Howard live on stage show that My Dad thought was highly amusing.
Shortly after this, Mum and Dad left and the rest of us could barely keep our eyes open.
Ian and Dharma disappeared upstairs and after a while, I gave in and joined them.
I left Murron and Marjorie snoozing on the sofas.

I was exhausted and it was still relatively early. I was feeling fine, just tired, but in the middle of the night I was awake and burning up.
I flung the window open to the cold night air to try and cool down but didn’t sleep much after that.

I’ve had a little irritation on my chest for the last week but it wasn’t much but on Boxing Day whatever it was decided enough was enough and kicked into high gear.
My head felt like it wanted to explode, my back ached, my limbs hurt. I felt very ‘fluey’ which is annoying because I had a flu jab!!

I spent the afternoon curled up on the sofa and from 6pm until 9pm I debated going into work the next day.
When my temperature hit 38.5 at 9 o’clock, the decision was made for me.
There was just no way I could go into work and I had to make a call I HATE making.
The fact that it was just after a Xmas break as well, made it even harder.
I hate calling in sick at the best of times, but at this time of year it just make you feel even more guilty.

I’m not feeling much better today so I decided not to go in tomorrow either.
This gives me a few days before I’m due back in on New Years Eve.
Hopefully I kick whatever this is by then.

For now, I’m curling up on the sofa again with some movies and nibbles.
Logan Lucky with Adam Driver and Channing Tatum and American Made with Domhnall Gleeson and Tom Cruise.

The house is so quiet.
Apart from sneeking downstairs for food and drink, I haven’t heard anything from anyone else and it’s 14:30 in the afternoon.
I think they are trying to stay away from Typhoid Mary!

Mum and Dad came over for a lush dinner and we chilled and watched Russell Howard and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

There was no pressure to do anything and we just had fun.

We got some new family members.

Shortly after Mum and Dad left, we dropped like flies. I ended up leaving Murron and Marjorie sleeping on the sofas.

It was a restless night however as the irritating little tickly cough I’ve had for the last week decided to become a little more. I had to fling the bedroom window open in the early hours to try and cool down, much to Ian’s annoyance and today I feel decidedly fluey. Glands are swollen, my back hurts, my limbs ache and my eyes have streamed all day. My throat is threateningly on the verge of becoming painful and I feel quite miserable.

So, lots of pain relief and an early night I think as I am working the next 2 days!! Not actually looking forward to that prospect at the moment.

Like I said in my previous post, the year had been relatively good until now.
Illnesses spreading through the family like wildfire.
Poor Ian is still struggling with his tonsillitis although it does appear to be easing off very slowly.

We had hoped that would be it until the new year.
How wrong we were.

Something ‘went’ on my car a couple of days ago.
Something we couldn’t ignore.
So, before we attempted the last of the Xmas shop, we took her over to a local garage.
It was not good news.

While she was up on the ramp, we were given a tour of the faults.
All four disk breaks were badly corroded.
All four break pads also needed changing.
The exhaust was badly corroded and blowing in various places and that included the cat converter.
The end of the cat converter was so badly corroded that even if a new exhaust was fitted, there was nothing solid to attach it too!!
A couple of the tyres are on the verge of needing to be replaced as well.
A bill totalling £950!!

Why bother I hear everyone ask.
Just buy a new one.

I could. But I like my little car and even if I did go out and spend £1500 – £2000 on a new one, there’s no guarantee that the same faults won’t rear their ugly heads a year or two down the line.

In the end the bill only came to £850
They couldn’t fit matching tyres so we decided to wait until the new year.
It’s still £850 we could have done without having to spend.

Anyway, after leaving my baby at the garage for the day, we headed over to Tesco to do the last of the Xmas food shop.
10am. It wasn’t too bad!!
The shop was fairly busy but we got straight through at the till.

I have now just picked my baby up from the garage and she is running a whole lot better.
She’s got her ‘poke’ back!!
I stopped off at Mum and Dad’s to collect a case of wine they got me for Xmas. A selection of Italian Pinot Grigio.
I am now enjoying the first bottle!
Lumina Lunae 2016 and it is lovely!

I just have to get through a 12.5 hour shift at work tomorrow and then I can enjoy Xmas.

It’s been a relatively good year for a change.
Foundation degree going well.
Wonderful London trip with Ian in June.
Amazing Italy trip for little Bro’s wedding in August.
A new piercing and a new tattoo.
Just about keeping our heads above water.
Xmas all sorted.
The Last Jedi was the icing on the cake.
Only two more shifts until Xmas.

So what’s gone wrong?
I’m having problems with my knee again for a start.
The knee that exploded on me nearly two years ago is giving me some real problems again and I’m really scared it’s going to have a major impact on me over the next year.
Right now, I can’t afford to be off my feet.
I can’t afford to miss my placement days on Tuesdays. The catch up on missed placement hours when I’m fit enough would be a killer.

Today I took Marjorie to work only to discover a problem with my car. There’s a terrible knocking when I turn left. We think a spring may have gone.
Great! it’s going to have to wait until after Xmas. I’ll just have to use the Hubbies car.

I can use the Hubbies car because he is not going to work because he’s unwell.
He has a low immune system anyway because of all the medication he’s on and one of the protocols is that he goes to see a doctor if he has a sore throat for more than 4 days.
Turns out he has a nice case of tonsillitis!!
The Docs have given him a whacking dose of antibiotics. Phenoxymethyl Penicillin 250mg. 2 tablets every 6 hours for ten days!

The only worry now is that Ian had a small issue with his car this morning when it wouldn’t go into gear.
It’s an automatic. He turned the car off and switched it back on and ‘fingers crossed’ it was OK.
Be bloody typical if that went as well!!

SO! Today I plan to put my feet up and try and get into the festive spirit.
The only shopping I have to think about is for the fresh fruit, veg and bread etc on Saturday.
There’s no way I’m doing it during the day. It will be pandamonium. I don’t want to leave it too late though because I’m up for work at 05:30 on Sunday.
I think around 9pm is a fair bet. Unless I’m feeling brave (or stupid) enough to go during the day.